DOCSLIB.ORG

A Review of Marine Mammal Records of Cuba

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Online ISSN: 2236-1057 A review of marine mammal records of Cuba †,* ‡ A RTICLE I NFO Amy D. Whitt , Thomas A. Jefferson , Miriam Blanco§, Dagmar Fertl¶ and Deanna Rees# Manuscript type Review † Article history Geo-Marine, Inc., 2201 K. Avenue, Suite A2, Plano, TX 75074, USA ‡Clymene Enterprises, 13037 Yerba Valley Way, Lakeside, CA 92040, USA Received 06 January 2012 §Acuario Nacional de Cuba, Avenida 1ra y 60, Playa, CP 11300, Habana, Received in revised form 16 March 2012 Cuba Accepted 02 April 2012 ¶Ziphius EcoServices, 8112 Springmoss Drive, Plano, TX 75025, USA Available online 27 January 2014 #Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic Division, 6506 Hampton Keywords: Caribbean Sea, Cuban EEZ, occurrence, Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23508-1278, USA distribution, cetacean, pinniped, sirenian *Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] Responsible Editor: Daniel M. Palacios Citation: Whitt, A.D., Jefferson, T.A., Blanco, M., Fertl, D., and Rees, D. (2011) A review of marine mammal records of Cuba. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 9(2): 65-122. http://dx.doi.org/10.5597/lajam00175 Abstract: There has been very little research on marine mammals in Cuban waters. Much of the information on marine mammals in this region is buried in historical and gray literature. In order to provide a comprehensive account of marine mammal occurrence in Cuba’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), we reviewed and verified 659 published and unpublished sighting, stranding, capture, and tagging records. Eighteen extant species and four genera have confirmed records for Cuban EEZ waters. This includes 17 species of cetaceans (three baleen whales and 14 toothed whales) and one sirenian species. An additional 11 cetacean species and one extant pinniped species have been reported, but not confirmed, or may have the potential to occur in Cuban waters. Historical records of the Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis) are documented in Cuba; however, this species is now considered extinct. The only two species that are seen regularly and considered common in Cuban nearshore waters are the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). Resumen: No hay mucha investigación sobre el tema de los mamíferos marinos en aguas cubanas. La mayoría de la información se encuentra enterrada en la literatura histórica y gris. A fin de proporcionar un informe completo de la presencia de mamíferos marinos en la Zona Económica Exclusiva (ZEE) de Cuba, hemos revisado y verificado 659 registros publicados y no publicados de avistamientos, varamientos, capturas y marcajes. Dieciocho especies existentes y cuatro géneros tienen registros confirmados para las aguas de la ZEE cubana. Esto incluye 17 especies de cetáceos (tres ballenas barbadas y 14 odontocetos) y una especie de sirenio. También se han reportado sin confirmar, o tienen el potencial de presentarse en aguas cubanas, 11 especies de cetáceos y una especie de pinnípedo. Existen registros históricos de la foca monje del Caribe (Monachus tropicalis) en Cuba, sin embargo esta especie se considera extinta. Las únicas dos especies que se ven regularmente y se consideran comunes en las aguas costeras de Cuba son el tursión (Tursiops truncatus) y el manatí antillano (Trichechus manatus). 65 Introduccion mammals of Cuba, we reviewed all available records of Marine mammal occurrence is not well documented for marine mammals in Cuba’s EEZ waters. This paper includes Cuban waters. Although historical accounts are summarized a summary of 659 available records through December 2008 in the older literature (e.g. Cuní, 1918; Aguayo, 1954), no and recommendations for future research efforts. recent comprehensive account of marine mammals of Cuba exists. Most records are based on historical accounts and gray Materials and Methods literature; therefore, verification of records is often difficult. Study Area Very few surveys of marine mammals have been conducted in The Study Area consists of the EEZ waters surrounding this region of the Caribbean Sea. Most of what is known about the mainland of Cuba and an archipelago of more than 3,000 marine mammals in Cuban waters comes from stranding and/ small islands or keys (GDAIS 2004) (Figure 1). Cuba is or capture information from local fishermen. Although these surrounded by deep basins and trenches of the Caribbean Sea, types of records are useful for identifying species presence, they Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, and The Bahamas e.g.( do not provide adequate information on species abundance Old Bahama Channel, Windward Passage, Yucatán Channel, and distribution which can be estimated from systematic and Cayman Trench) (Figure 1). The Cuban platform can surveys. Abundance information is particularly important for be divided into four wide-shelf areas, two on the north side determining population trends. One species that is known (Sabana-Camagüey and Los Colorados Archipelagos) and two to have undergone a decline in Cuban waters is the West on the south side (Golfo de Batabanó and the area including Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). The Cuban manatee Golfo de Ana María and Golfo de Guacanayabo). These population decreased dramatically in the late 1800s due to a wide-shelf areas are separated by narrow shelves (Claro et al., targeted fishery (Cuní, 1918). Captures of manatees are now 2002). Cuba has extensive seagrass beds within the coastline’s prohibited in Cuba. However, Cuba maintains a direct live- substantial shelf and shallow waters. Where the insular shelf capture fishery for common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops( is narrow, deep waters are found within a few kilometers (km) truncatus) via annual quotas which are assigned to dolphinaria of land. of various countries within the regulations established by Cuban waters are directly influenced by the Loop, Yucatán, the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered and Florida Currents. Circulation patterns off northwestern Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) (Espinosa and Cuba are highly dependent on prevailing winds due to the Orta 2007). To provide a comprehensive account of marine shallow depths, while circulation off the north-central coast Figure 1. The Study Area which includes waters of the Cuban EEZ. 66 is determined mainly by tidal currents. The southern coast and volunteers from 1999 through 2003 on an irregular of Cuba is influenced by a diverse system of eddies (Claro et basis (approximately five times per year). These surveys al., 2002). were completed using the protocols described in Roca and Sedaghatkish (1998) and the GTMO (1996) for manatees3. Sources of Data Survey and opportunistic data collected at GTMO between We collected and assessed all available published and July 1996 and January 2008 are included in this paper. unpublished sighting, stranding, capture (including direct National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)—The NMFS- captures and bycatch records), and tagging records for marine Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) Pelagic Observer mammals in Cuban EEZ waters through December 2008. Program (POP), which monitors the mobile U.S. pelagic In some cases, species’ records were only available for waters longline fleet, has collected marine mammal bycatch data directly outside of the EEZ. To provide the most complete for the east coast of Cuba. Most of these records are of account of each species, we discuss records in the near vicinity unidentified cetacean species (e.g. Garrison and Richards, of the Cuban EEZ; however, these records are not included in 2004; NMFS-SEFSC 2004). Several NMFS survey vessels the figures or appendix. Records located on the border of the have transited Cuban waters while en route to other areas of EEZ were treated as occurring within the EEZ. A total of 659 the Caribbean but did not collect data on marine mammals records were compiled from a variety of sources. Some of the due to the lack of Cuban research permits (e.g. Swartz and primary data sources are summarized below. Burks, 2000; Fulling and Clapham, 2004). Published literature—A search of peer-reviewed and non- Other opportunistic sources—Several records of marine peer-reviewed literature uncovered several historical accounts mammals in Cuban waters were obtained from personal of marine mammal occurrence in Cuban waters. For example, accounts and observations. In addition, unpublished data Cuní (1918) provided one of the first reviews about cetaceans from Hal Whitehead (Dalhousie University) are included in captured near the Cuban coast and also included information this paper. No specific survey information was available, but on cetacean strandings and skeletons found in Cuba. Aguayo the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) vocalization study (1954) discussed sightings of several cetacean species in for which these data were collected was described in Rendell Cuban waters and provided general descriptions of other and Whitehead (2003). Additional opportunistic sightings marine mammal species known to occur in Cuban waters. were recorded on oceanographic surveys in the southern Gulf Alayo (1958) listed marine mammal species of Cuba but did of Mexico and the Yucatán Channel in March 1998 (Ortega- not provide specific information on records. Varona (1973) Ortiz, 2002) and on the U.S. Training Ship Texas Clipper in summarized marine mammal records of Cuba but provided June 1991 (Jefferson and Lynn, 1994). Satellite-tagging data general location information instead of specific records of were obtained from the U.S. Minerals Management Service’s
Recommended publications
  • A Modified Sverdrup Model of the Atlantic and Caribbean Circulation

    A Modified Sverdrup Model of the Atlantic and Caribbean Circulation

    MARCH 2002 WAJSOWICZ 973 A Modi®ed Sverdrup Model of the Atlantic and Caribbean Circulation ROXANA C. WAJSOWICZ* Department of Meteorology, University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, Maryland (Manuscript received 9 October 2000, in ®nal form 6 August 2001) ABSTRACT An analytical model of the mean wind-driven circulation of the North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea is constructed based on linear dynamics and assumed existence of a level of no motion above all topography. The circulation around each island is calculated using the island rule, which is extended to describe an arbitrary length chain of overlapping islands. Frictional effects in the intervening straits are included by assuming a linear dependence on strait transport. Asymptotic expansions in the limit of strong and weak friction show that the transport streamfunction on an island boundary is dependent on wind stress over latitudes spanning the whole length of the island chain and spanning just immediately adjacent islands, respectively. The powerfulness of the method in enabling the wind stress bands, which determine a particular strait transport, to be readily identi®ed, is demonstrated by a brief explanation of transport similarities and differences in earlier numerical models forced by various climatological wind stress products. In the absence of frictional effects outside western boundary layers, some weaker strait transports are in the wrong direction (e.g., Santaren Channel) and others are too large (e.g., Old Bahama Channel). Also, there is no western boundary current to the east of Abaco Island. Including frictional effects in the straits enables many of these discrepancies to be resolved.
  • Environmental Assessment Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System

    Environmental Assessment Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System

    Environmental Assessment Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System January 28, 2015 Prepared For Defense Information Systems Agency Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System Environmental Assessment January 28, 2015 Prepared for P.O Box 549, Fort Meade, MD 20755-0549 Prepared by SCHEDA Ecological Associates, Inc. 1221 Airport Road, Suite 208, Destin, FL 32541 Tel 850 460 7500 www.scheda.com Environmental Assessment Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System Table of Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Overview ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Background ............................................................................................................ 3 1.3 Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action ........................................................... 6 Chapter 2 Proposed Action and Alternatives ................................................................................................. 7 2.1 Overview ................................................................................................................ 7 2.2 Project Design .......................................................................................................
  • Sea-Level Changes and Fluid Flow on the Great Bahama Bank Slope1

    Sea-Level Changes and Fluid Flow on the Great Bahama Bank Slope1

    Eberli, G.P., Swart, P.K., Malone, M.J., et al., 1997 Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Initial Reports, Vol. 166 2. LEG SYNTHESIS: SEA-LEVEL CHANGES AND FLUID FLOW ON THE GREAT BAHAMA BANK SLOPE1 Shipboard Scientific Party2 INTRODUCTION and the abundance of biostratigraphic markers (Table 1), it was pos- sible to define the ages of the Neogene sequence boundaries and to During Ocean Drilling Program Leg 166 we drilled 17 holes at test their age consistency in the transect sites and to the boreholes pre- seven sites (Sites 1003–1009) on the western flank of the Great Ba- viously drilled on the platform (Figs. 3, 4, and back-pocket foldout). hama Bank (GBB), recovering almost 3 km of core and 3.1 km of By reaching the Oligocene at Site 1007, a sedimentary record of the wireline logs ranging in age from late Oligocene to Holocene (Figs. sea-level changes is available for the entire Neogene. At all five 1, 2). Five sites in the Straits of Florida (Sites 1003–1007) complete transect sites (Sites 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006, and 1007), sedimenta- a transect through prograding carbonate sequences, the Bahamas tion rates (Fig. 5) alternate between high (up to 15 to 20 cm/k.y.) and Transect. Two boreholes (Clino and Unda) drilled previously on the low (<2 cm/k.y.) values, reflecting a long-term pattern of (1) bank western Great Bahama Bank as part of the Bahamas Drilling Project flooding (0.5–2 m.y.) with increased off-bank shedding of platform- represent the shallow-water sites of the transect (Figs.
  • Calibration of Seismic Data from the Western Margin of Great Bahama Bank with Exposed Strata in the Maiella Mountains (Italy)

    Calibration of Seismic Data from the Western Margin of Great Bahama Bank with Exposed Strata in the Maiella Mountains (Italy)

    Calibration of Seismic Data from the Western Margin of Great Bahama Bank with Exposed Strata in the Maiella Mountains (Italy) © Comparative Sedimentology Laboratory UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI Eberli, G.P.*, Anselmetti, F.S.**, Bernoulli, D.**, Betzler C.*** and Van Konijnenburg J.H.**** *Comparative Sedimentology Laboratory, University of Miami **Geological Insitute, Swiss Institue of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland ***University of Hamburg, Germany **** Carbonate Team Shell, Rijswijk Rationale for Study: The isolated carbonate platforms of the Bahamas are often taken as a modern analogue for the interpretation of ancient platform deposits. Insight to the architecture of the banks is limited to seismic and core data. Ancient analogs can help interpret these subsurface data sets. The Maiella Platform is a superbly exposed platform with a similar evolution as Great Bahama Bank. A comparison of the seismic and outcrop architecture helps to better understand the stratigraphic architecture and sedimentary processes at isolated platform margins. Little Bahama Umbria/Marche Bank M. dei Fiori FLORIDA Adriatic Sea 0 100 km Gran S asso ROMA Northwest Providence PESCARA 26 e rida Channel Miami el N ? Chann Maiella A A D ROMA Mt. SimbruiB Marsica 30o 30o CA PL Straits of Flo Northeast Providenc Gargano M ine Intern B ni A estern L Tongu Mt. Lep al all Y W EM Unda ochth Clino Andros ini CA Site 1005 Site 1007 Island e of the Ocean onous Site 1006 Site 1003 Exuma Sound units Matese A 24 N o o Cay Sal Tyrrhenian Sea 0 0 Bank B NAPOLI Great Bahama Quaternary
  • The Sedimentology and Architecture of Carbonate Platform Slopes

    The Sedimentology and Architecture of Carbonate Platform Slopes

    The Sedimentology and Architecture of Carbonate Platform Slopes Dissertation with the aim of achieving a doctoral degree at the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences Department of Earth Science of Universität Hamburg Submitted by Marco Wunsch Hamburg 2017 Eidesstattliche Versicherung Hiermit erkläre ich an Eides statt, dass ich die vorliegende Dissertationsschrift selbst verfasst und keine anderen als die angegebenen Quellen und Hilfsmittel benutzt habe. Hamburg, den Unterschrift Day of oral defense: 16/01/2018 The following evaluators recommend the admission of the dissertation: Prof. Dr. Christian Betzler Dr. Sebastian Lindhorst Abstract The aim of this thesis is unravel the factors controlling the architecture and sediment distribution along carbonate platform slopes. To achieve this goal, two Bahamian carbonate slopes were chosen, the leeward slope of Great Bahama Bank (GBB) and the windward slope of Cay Sal Bank (CSB). Both slopes border the Santaren Channel, a deep-water strait dominated by two contour currents flowing in opposite directions. The western part of the channel is dominated by south-directed contour currents. In the eastern part, strong contour currents flow towards the north and merge with the Florida Currents at the coalescence of the Santaren Channel with the Straits of Florida. The middle of the Santaren Channel is occupied by elongated drift body, the Santaren Drift. The thesis relies on a dense grid of hydroacoustic data (subsurface profiler and Multibeam data), which allow new insights into slope processes and sedimentary dynamics along both slopes. Sediment samples retrieved with grab sampler, multicorer, as well as box and gravity corer complemented the hydroacoustic data.
  • Atoll Research Bulletin No* 271 Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas: A

    Atoll Research Bulletin No* 271 Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas: A

    ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN NO* 271 CAY SAL BANK, BAHAMAS: A BIOLOGICALLY IMPOVERISHED, PHYSICALLY TROLLED ENVIRONMENT SEPTEMBER 198 3 CAY SAL BANK, BAHAMAS: A BIOLOGICALLY IMPOVERISHED PHYSICALLY CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT 1 by Walter M. Goldberg ABSTRACT Cay Sal Bank is a shallow water, oceanic platform whose lagoonal surface is 9-16m below sea level. Benthic communities on the bank are divided into four major zones based upon biotic composition and substrate. These are (1) rubble- Lobophora 12) Sargassm-gorgonian-sponge (3) Halodule and associates aKd ( ) a patchy Thalassia zone. Sediment is largely restricted to the western portion of the lagoon, especially in zone 3. Although occasional patch reefs are noted, the bank lagoon is virtually devoid of coral reefs and coral communities, The submerged, leeward bases of islands and cays represent the principal substrate for the development of scleractinian corals, but these do not appear to form a reef framework, Scleractinian development on the windward sides of the islands is negligible, Patch reefs and spur and groove systems are usually poorly developed on the outer bank slope to depths approaching 30m, The best developed coral communities occur below this depth with the exception of the southwestern sector where reefs are smothered in sediment, The biological structure of the bank lagoon is interpreted as being controlled largely by wind and periodic storm forces that result in frequent resuspension and eventual offbank transport of sediment, especially to the southwest, Gay SaX is not a drowned bank; it is a submerged platform on which biological impoverishment appears to be maintained through disturbance phenomena engendered by an open and poorly developed rim.
  • The Influence of Loop Current Perturbations on the Formation and Evolution of Tortugas Eddies in the Southern Straits of Florida

    The Influence of Loop Current Perturbations on the Formation and Evolution of Tortugas Eddies in the Southern Straits of Florida

    University of South Florida Scholar Commons Marine Science Faculty Publications College of Marine Science 10-15-1998 The Influence of Loop Current Perturbations on the Formation and Evolution of Tortugas Eddies in the Southern Straits of Florida Paula S. Fratantoni University of Miami Thomas N. Lee University of Miami Guillermo P. Podesta University of Miami Frank E. Muller-Karger University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub Part of the Marine Biology Commons Scholar Commons Citation Fratantoni, Paula S.; Lee, Thomas N.; Podesta, Guillermo P.; and Muller-Karger, Frank E., "The Influence of Loop Current Perturbations on the Formation and Evolution of Tortugas Eddies in the Southern Straits of Florida" (1998). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 52. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/52 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Marine Science at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Marine Science Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 103, NO. Cll, PAGES 24,759-24,779, OCTOBER 15, 1998 The influence of Loop Current perturbations on the formation and evolution of Tortugas eddies in the southern Straits of Florida Paula S. Fra•an•oni Woods Hole OceanographicInstitution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts Thomas N. Lee and Guillermo P. Podesta Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida Frank Muller-Karger University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida Abstract. Large cyclonic eddies on the northern edge of the Florida Current are the dominant mesoscale features within the southern Straits of Florida.

  • Bulletin 293

    CATALOG OF RECENT OPHIUROID TYPE SPECIMENS IN MAJOR COLLECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price $1.50 UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 293 Catalog of Recent Ophiuroid Type Specimens in Major Collections in the United States MAUREEN E. DOWNEY Smithsonian Institution SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS CITY OF WASHINGTON 1969 Publications of the United Stales National Museum The scientific publications of the United States National Museum in- clude two series, Proceedings of the United States National Museum and United States National Museum Bulletin. In these series are published original articles and monographs dealing with the collections and work of the Museum and setting forth newly ac- quired facts in the field of anthropology, biology, geology, history, and scientific organizations and to specialists and others interested in the various subjects. The Proceedings, begun in 1878, are intended for the publication, in separate form, of shorter papers. These are gathered in volumes, octavo in size, with the publication date of each paper recorded in the table of contents of the volume. In the Bulletin series, the first of which was issued in 1875, appear longer, separate publications consisting of monographs (occasionally in several parts) and volumes in which are collected works on related sub- jects. Bulletins are either octavo or quarto in size, depending on the needs of the presentation. Since 1902, papers relating to the botanical collec- tions of the Museum have been published in the Bulletin series under the heading Contributions from the United States National Herbarium.

  • Large-Scale Carbonate Platform Development of Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas, and Implications for Associated Reef Geomorphology

    Geomorphology 222 (2014) 25–38 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Geomorphology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/geomorph Large-scale carbonate platform development of Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas, and implications for associated reef geomorphology Sam Purkis a,⁎, Jeremy Kerr a, Alexandra Dempsey a,AndrewCalhouna, Liisa Metsamaa a,BernhardRiegla, Villy Kourafalou b, Andrew Bruckner c,PhilipRenaudc a National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University, Dania Beach, Fl 33004, USA b University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Miami, FL 33149, USA c Living Oceans Foundation, Landover, MD 20785, USA article info abstract Article history: The Bahama Archipelago consists of an arcuate chain of carbonate platforms. Average water depths on the Received 31 August 2012 platform-tops, such as the Great Bahama Bank (GBB), are typically 10 m or less, with coral reef-rimmed margins, Received in revised form 22 September 2013 thick sediment accumulations, and the frequent occurrence of islands. There are, however, exceptions. For exam- Accepted 2 March 2014 ple, Cay Sal Bank (CSB), a little studied detached Bahamian carbonate platform with depths ranging from 30 to Available online 11 March 2014 7 m, is only slightly deeper than the GBB, but devoid of islands, lacks platform-margin coral reefs and holds little sediment on the platform-top; the platform is incipiently drowned. CSB is interesting as it is conspicuously larger Keywords: Carbonate platform (6000 sq. km) than other incipiently drowned platforms in the region, such as Serranilla Bank (1100 sq. km) and Geomorphology the Cat Island platform (1500 sq. km). Field and remote sensing data are assembled to provide insight into the Bahamas sedimentology and geomorphology of the CSB.
  • Reports on the Scientific Results of the First Atlantis Expedition to the West Indies, Under the Joint Auspices of the University of Havana and Harvard University

    Reports on the Scientific Results of the First Atlantis Expedition to the West Indies, Under the Joint Auspices of the University of Havana and Harvard University

    REPORTS ON THE SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF THE FIRST ATLANTIS EXPEDITION TO THE WEST INDIES, UNDER THE JOINT AUSPICES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAVANA AND HARVARD UNIVERSITY Preliminary Descriptions of One New Genus and Seventeen New Species of Decapod and Stomatopod Cr-ustacea * BY FENNKE A. CHACE, JK. Museum of Comparative Zoology. The final reports on the results of these expeditions will contain complete descriptions and figures of the following species. Family Pasiphaeidae- Pasipfiaea poeyi, sp. nov. Holotype.—Male, M.C.Z. No. 10237, Bahia de Cochinos, Santa Clara Province, Cuba, Lat. 22° 07' N., Long. 81° OS' W., 220-275 fathoms, February 25, 1938; station 2963-D. Paratypes.—Ovigerous female, Nicholas Channel north of Santa Clara Province, Cuba, Lat. 23a 16' 30" N., Long. 80° 11' W., 415 fathoms, March 14, 1938; station 2990-A. Female, off Bahia Cardenas, Matanzas Province, Cuba, Lat. 23° 24' N., Long. 81° 00' 30" W., 370-605 fathoms, March 16, 1938; station 2995. Carapace about as long as the first three abdominal somites, not carinate dorsally except on the gastric tooth. The latter does not reach quite as far as the anterior margin of the carapace. Branehios- tegal sinus very shallow, merely forming a sinuous outline to the anterolateral margin of the carapace; the branchiostegal spine arises from the margin of the earapace. Abdomen with no trace of a carina * Contribution No. 199 of the "Woods Hole Oeeanographie Institution. 15-11-19391 31 MEM0R1AS DB LA SOCIBDAD CUBAN A DB HISTORIA NATURAL on the first three somites; fourth, fifth and sixth somites somewhat flattened dorsally making an obtuse angle with the lateral surfaces.
  • Multichannel Seismic Measurements on the Northern Edge of The

    Multichannel Seismic Measurements on the Northern Edge of The

    United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey Multichannel Seismic Measurements On the Northern Edge of the Bahaman-Cuban Collision Zone Mahlon M. Ball, Editor Open-File Report 63-23 This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for. conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards Table of Contents Page Introduction - - --- -- by M.M. Ball, R.G. Martin, R. Sylvester, and -W.D. Bock Equipment-- - --- ---- - --- .-_. ...... by R.M. Bowles, M.M. Ball, D. Taylor, and E.L. Coward Seismic Data Processing- - 6 by D. Taylor, M.M. Ball, R. Sylvester, and E.L. Coward Reflection Sesimic Measurements- - -- 10 by M.M. Ball, R.G. Martin, W.D. Bock, and R. Sylvester Gravity and Magnetic Measurement 21 by M.M. Ball, R.M. Bowles, L. Gilbert, and E.L. Covard Discussion - 22 by M.M. Ball, R.G. Martin, R. Sylvester, and W.D. Bock Introduction Mahlon M. Ball, Ray G. Martin, Richard Sylwester, and Wayne D. Bock General This paper presents geophysical data obtained, in the western reaches of the Old Bahama Channel separating Cuba and the Bahamas (Figure 1). These data were collected as part of an ongoing investigation of Caribbean and Bahaman geology primarily conducted by University of Miami and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The work was done on the R/V Gilliss of Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, (RSMAS), University of Miami. The scientific party included members of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) and RSMAS. Previous Work Geology in Cuba is complicated. Meyerhoff and Hatten (1968) clearly illustrate this complexity in their paper on salt diapirs in central Cuba in which they present a good and admirably referenced summary of the islands' geologic history.
  • Decapod Crustaceans from Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas, with Notes on Their Zoogeographic Afhnities

    Decapod Crustaceans from Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas, with Notes on Their Zoogeographic Afhnities

    XMJRNAL OF CRUSTACXAN BIOLOOY, 4(3): 42}-M7, I9t4 DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS FROM CAY SAL BANK, BAHAMAS, WITH NOTES ON THEIR ZOOGEOGRAPHIC AFHNITIES Rafael Lemaitre ABSTRACT Duringa biological investigation of Cay Sal Bank in 1978-82 conducted on the R/V Bellows, an important collection of decapods was obtained in depths ranging from 1 to 498 m. The material included the heretofoie figured but charaaerized caridean Stylodaaylus rectirostris. and the poorly known brachyurans Dissodactylus juvenilis and Micropanope pusilla. First western Atlantic records are reported for the carideans Ligur ensiferus and Plesionika wil- liamsi, and minor range extensions for six other species. Zoogeographic affinities of the more than 113 species collected are greatest with the fauna of the Gulf of Mexico. Distributional data indicate that the Florida Current is not a significant obstacle for decapod crustaceans but more probably serves as vehicle for the transport of larval stages across the Straits of Florida. Fifty percent of the penaeoids and carideans firom the slope of the bank occur also in the eastern Atlantic. Cay Sal Bank, in the tropical western Atlantic, occupies an area of considerable size that is strategically located between Florida, the Great Bahama Bank, and Cuba. Despite the size and position of this bank its marine fauna has not been investigated in the past. Major oceanographic expeditions to the Bahamas that have collected decajiod crustaceans (see review by Garth, 1978) have been centered on the main Bahamian group of islands. Consequently, the species composition of Cay Sal Bank has remained virtually unknown. The opportunity to study the decapod fatma of the bank came during a biological expedition to Cay Sal Bank in 1978-1982 conducted on R/V Bellows by scientists from Florida International University (Goldberg, 1983).